Sirius Black and the Golden Lion
by absentmindedgenius
Summary: Life isn't easy for the young Sirius Black. And going to Hogwarts just seems to add more problems but also brings much fun and hilarity. An account of Sirius' first year at Hogwarts.
1. The Birthday

_A/N. This fic was posted here a while back, but I took it down as I didn't have time for it. But now, I've resurrected it, and am revising it. Updates may be slow or sporadic as I'm off to uni in October, but I'll try to get chapters out as quickly as I can_

_**Disclaimer: Not mine. JKR's. Don't sue** _**  
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**Prologue - The birthday**

Mr. and Mrs. Black had for many years run a household of which any self-respecting witch and wizard would be proud. Both from respectable pure-blood families, they had made a respectable pure-blood marriage, and given birth to two respectable pure-blood sons. Until the fifth birthday of the elder of the two, everything had seemed perfect. But when Mr. Black awoke on that day, he had no idea of what lay in store for him.

"Everybody up!" Mrs. Black shouted up the stairs of their home at number 12 Grimmauld Place. There were two large bangs as two bedroom doors on the next floor were opened, and two small dark-haired boys appeared at the top of the stairs.  
"Sirius, Regulus, I want you dressed and down here in two minutes to start the breakfast." Both boys turned sharply and ran back into their rooms. Two minutes later, they appeared at the kitchen door, the younger still yawning sleepily.

"Regulus, stop that. I want you to set the table". The younger boy closed his mouth immediately and walked obediently to the table.

"And Sirius, you can do the toast."

"But it's my birthday" the older boy complained feebly.

"Yes, and you can celebrate that by not burning the bread." The boy gave a small sigh and lifted a loaf of bread off the table. Mrs. Black pointed her wand at the grill, which lit immediately.

The older of the two boys, Sirius, carefully put two slices of bread on the grill pan. This was his job every morning, and had been for the past two years. He knew exactly how long to leave the bread before turning - his father could become surprisingly angry over such a little thing as slightly under- or over-cooked toast. He paused to run his hand through his hair. It was quite long, falling almost into his eyes, but he liked it that way. His father thought that it made him look like a "nancy-boy", and demanded at every opportunity that Sirius have it cut. Yet somehow, Sirius had so far avoided it, by being inexplicably busy every time his parents were going to a wizarding barbers. He was safe in the knowledge that his mother would never cut it herself - that would never do for a Black to have his hair cut by anyone less than the best.

Behind him, Regulus Black laid the table with equal efficiency. Both boys knew that if their jobs were done improperly, or left incomplete, they would be sent to their rooms without breakfast. It taught them discipline, their parents said.

"Breakfast ready yet?" asked Mr. Black, striding into the kitchen. He took his seat at the table, and surveyed the kitchen

"Nearly," his wife replied, without turning around. "Sirius, have you done that toast yet?" The boy turned around, pushing his black hair out of his eyes.

"Nearly, mother," He brought a loaded plate of toast over to the table and took his seat next to his little brother. His father pushed a package towards him.

"You should find that interesting," he said, helping himself to toast. "And why haven't you had a haircut?"

Sirius tore the paper off the parcel eagerly, ignoring his father's second comment.. He felt sure the parcel would contain a book. After he had taught himself to read when he was three, his parents encouraged him to use their library. But the young boy hadn't taken them up on that- he knew the library was full of books about the dark arts and about muggle-killings, and he didn't like the idea of that.

He crumpled up the paper and threw it to the floor. He turned the book face-up and read:

"Grindlewald: Misunderstood?" His face fell "Wasn't he the one who tried to kill all the muggles?"

"Yes. He was defeated by Albus Dumbledore a few years ago, the muggle-loving fool,"

"Good," said Sirius emphatically.

"Why say that, son?" Mr. Black asked, his grey eyes flashing dangerously

"Because muggles don't do us any harm, and we shouldn't hurt them" his son replied innocently, unaware of the trouble he was causing. His parents exchanged angry looks, while Sirius looked on bemused. He could tell that his parents were angry, but at six years old, could not understand why.

"Muggles have never done anything good for us, and we should not have to tolerate them!" Mr. Black banged his fist on the table to emphasise his words. Both Sirius and Regulus jumped.

"But they can't help it, they're only muggles" Sirius foolishly tried to reason with his father, whose eyes blazed angrily.

"Muggles are stupid. They can't even do magic," Regulus smirked.

"Neither can you," his brother pointed out reasonably.

"But I will one day, I'm going to be a really powerful wizard, like dad, aren't I mummy?" Regulus looked innocently at his parents.

"And have the same stupid views," Sirius muttered. Now he knew what his family were on about. And he hated it. He had never quite seen why his parents didn't like muggles, or muggleborns either, if it came to that. Not that he had had much contact with them, but his cousin Andromeda had just married a muggleborn called Ted, and Sirius had liked him enormously. Even his name was different - all the people Sirius knew had names from stars or history, while Ted said he was named after a King. King Ted - Sirius couldn't imagine that. Ted had also said he was named after a potato, which Sirius really didn't understand.

Adults were strange. Even decent adults, who didn't shout at Sirius if he disagreed with them.

"What was that?" his father demanded, leaping to his feet.

"Nothing," Sirius said quickly.

"Repeat!" Mr. Black demanded, advancing on his six-year-old son, who shrank back into his chair.

"Nothing, sir!" he squeaked.

"Go to your room!" Sirius fled the table, and the thump of terrified feet on the stairs showed that he had done as ordered.

"You too, Regulus," Mr. Black added, slightly more kindly.

"But dad…"

"Just go!"

The four-year-old reluctantly traced his brother's steps out of the room. Mr. Black turned to his wife.

"What shall we do with him?" she spat angrily, as if Sirius was a disobedient animal, rather than her son and heir to his family.

"It may stop now I've shown him that we don't tolerate that sort of rubbish in this house," her husband replied wearily. Mr Black didn't really believe it, but he hoped that by saying it, it would come true

"But the boys obviously a muggle-lover. If we don't stamp on it, he'll be a disgrace to the family name."

"Fine. I'll deal with it. At least young Regulus was showing some proper wizarding pride," he added, as he walked out into the hallway.

"Sirius! Here! Now!" he shouted up the stairs. A door banged, and Sirius' terrified face appeared at the top of the stairs. At a fierce nod from his father, he clattered down them to face him at the bottom. He knew exactly what was coming, but couldn't even begin to imagine disobeying.

With menacing slowness, Mr. Black removed his belt. Pulling his eldest son to him roughly, he glared at him…

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_Reviews just might make me write faster - if that's what you'd like! Let me know what you think... amg  
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	2. The Track To Freedom?

The track to freedom? 

Eleven year old Sirius Black awoke with a start, and realised that he was sweating with the memory of possibly the worst birthday anyone could ever have had.

"Just a dream, Sirius," he told himself firmly. "Just a dream, from a long time ago."

But although it had been the first time his father had properly beaten him, it certainly hadn't been the last. That first, sixth-birthday-beating had only been the first of many, the last far too recent for his liking.

He reached around, and gingerly touched the fresh welts on his back. Those were from his father who had beaten him again the previous night. Sirius wasn't even sure why- the beatings were so common that all excuse for them seemed to have faded.

Sometimes, Sirius wished that his father would be proud of him, as he appeared to be of his younger brother. But if it meant giving up his views, then he wasn't sure it was worth it. Sirius knew he was unusually headstrong for a boy of his age, something that didn't go down well in the coldly formal Black household.

The Blacks were one of the oldest true wizarding families in England, if not the world. Proudly displayed in their dining room was a large tapestry, tracing their ancestry back through several centuries. The golden lines crossed at times, and in more than one place appeared to weave together. Sirius suspected that this was to do with the family's tendency to intermarry, but had refrained from bringing up the question. He had had enough beatings for simply being him - there was no point in looking for them.

Sirius leaned against the brass headboard of his bed, carefully avoiding the marks on his back.

Suddenly, his promisingly handsome face split into a wide grin. He had just remembered something that made the painful memory of his beating fade into insignificance. Tomorrow, September the first, he was off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! He'd been looking forward to going for as long as he could remember, not least because it would mean three terms away from his parents. He looked at the clock beside his bed. Only seven hours to go, before the Hogwarts Express would leave from Kings Cross train station. He grinned again, and lay back down on his stomach, his chin resting on his hands.

But then, his face fell. From all accounts, Slytherin, one of the Hogwarts houses would be nearly as bad as home. He couldn't imagine not being put in that house, after all, both his parents had been Slytherins, and his cousins Bellatrix and Narcissa were currently members. Still, nobody would beat him there, and so what if he didn't fit in? He was used to that, after all.

Falling back to sleep proved difficult. The remembrance of his coming journey meant that Sirius' stomach was churning. Strange, he thought, how his head could be excited yet his stomach nervous.

Maybe he wouldn't be a Slytherin. Maybe he'd be a Ravenclaw. He knew more spells than any of his cousins had before they'd gone to school, and his parents friends often complimented them on their "bright young son".

Yes, Ravenclaw. That would be good. It was a fairly neutral house - and the only other house a Black had ever been sorted into. Cousin Andromeda had been a Ravenclaw until her graduation last year. Admittedly, she had since been blasted off the family tapestry, but that was because she had married a muggle-born. Her house had been tolerated, especially as she had excelled in it. It would not have done for a Black to be anything less than excellent.

The grey light of morning began to filter in through the dusty curtains, and Sirius got out of bed. He'd packed his trunk the night before, but he'd left out one of his books, "The Dark Forces, a guide to Self-Protection". It was the first book he'd ever read that discouraged the Dark Arts rather than promoted them. He flicked through to page 79 and started reading. He'd left off the day before at the page about shields, and he was eager to learn more.

Almost before he knew what was happening, the customary morning call rang through the house.

"Everybody up!"

He leapt up from the chair in which he had been sitting and sprinted out of his room to the top of the stairs. Slightly down from his room, another door opened, and Sirius' younger brother Regulus joined him there. Sirius scowled. He and Regulus had used to be friends, but they had begun to grow up with conflicting views. Regulus had followed faithfully in the family opinion that blood was what mattered, whilst Sirius still didn't understand that. His non-conformation had earned him many a beating in the past, but he refused to back down on his views.

"Reggie, you get dressed and come and lay the table. Sirius, you can cook the bacon and eggs."

Sirius groaned. He hated cooking, and had been hoping to be able to skip it that morning. However, he swiftly remembered that he would be eating in the Hogwarts Great Hall that night, with food expertly prepared by the resident house elves. He wished his mother would hurry up and get the house elf she was always saying she needed. Maybe with Sirius unavailable for cooking, she would get on with it.

He returned to his room and dressed quickly in his tidier robes. His parents insisted on him and his brother wearing wizard robes all the time, though Sirius knew that many other young wizard children often wore muggle clothing. He didn't own much muggle clothing, though he had managed to pick up a pair of "jenes" in Gladrags Wizardwear during the last family trip to Hogsmeade. The witch in the shop had said that they were very popular amongst muggle teenagers, and had sold Sirius two T-shirts to go with them. One was green with a lurid pink design on the front, and the other was black. Sirius had kept them hidden from his parents - he could just see his father's face if he turned up to breakfast in a pink and green top. Maybe he'd get chance to wear them at Hogwarts - it was almost Slytherin colours, after all.

On impulse, he pulled his muggle clothes out of his drawer and stashed them in his trunk. It was his great-grandfather's trunk, a handsome ebony piece with three magical compartments. The initials S.R.B were engraved into the lid. Sargas Regor Black. His grandfather's father, who had died several years before Sirius' birth. By happy coincidence, they shared the same initials, and his grandfather had bequeathed the trunk to Sirius before he died, eight years previously.

Locking the compartment carefully, he pulled the trunk into the middle of the room. He would pack it after breakfast, he decided. Being late for breakfast was only guaranteed to cause trouble.

He padded softly down the still-dark stairs and into the kitchen where, unusually, his father had started on the breakfast.

"Er, do you want me to take over, sir?" Sirius asked nervously.

"No, no, you're off to Hogwarts today, so I thought I'd do this for you as a treat. Just think, tonight, when you sit at that end table, you're carrying on a fine tradition of Blacks."

"Yes sir," Sirius said dully. That explained why his father was being so nice to him today. It looked like he was destined to be a Black through and through- his father seemed to take for granted that he would join Bella and 'Cissa at the Slytherin table.

His mother stalked into the kitchen, casting a dirty look in Sirius' direction.

"Well, boy? Can't you make yourself useful, for once in your life?"

"Let him be, Arane," Mr. Black replied. Sirius would have gaped, had he not been afraid of the consequences. His father sticking up for him in front of his mother? That was unheard of! Usually, his father wouldn't contradict his mother at all, and Sirius sympathised - his mother had a horrible temper.

But it made the already tense atmosphere almost unbearable as Mr. Black brought the bacon and eggs over to the table and dished them out.

Sirius ate his breakfast in silence, although he wasn't very hungry.

"Scared, Sirius?" Regulus taunted him

"No!" Sirius replied defensively.

"Why should he be scared?" asked Mr. Black. "He knows just what to expect, and he's going to be a true Black." Sirius winced. That phrase again. And he wasn't too worried to not pick up on the edge in his father's voice. It was a threat. Sirius stood up and excused himself, then returned to his bedroom to finish preparing. He grabbed his new wand from its slim case lying on the dresser and opened a book.

This book had been a present from his Uncle Alphard, a kindly old wizard who seemed most unlike the rest of the Black family. After seeing his young nephew's poorly concealed disappointment at yet another book of dark or dark-related spells, he had turned up at the next birthday with this book "Useful Charms for Young Wizards". The last few pages appeared blank to Sirius - his uncle had said there was an age-charm on them. Sirius didn't even want to think about what was contained within those pages, so just stuck to the early ones.

He ran a finger down the page until he found the spell he wanted. He took a deep breath and said the spell aloud:

"Capillumundus". He jumped over to look in the mirror. His hair, which had been tousled from him tossing and turning that night, now lay smooth, falling into his eyes ever so slightly at the front. He grinned. There were advantages to being a Black- usually underage wizards weren't allowed to do magic at home, but his father had put a charm on the house so magic could not be detected there.

Sirius polished his handsome willow wand. He wanted it to stay in perfect condition for as long as possible. His wand contrasted greatly to the rest of the family's- most of theirs were made from mahogany or another dark coloured wood, and most contained a dragon heartstring as their core. Stowing it away carefully in his waistband, he started to throw his clothes into his trunk. His books followed, albeit more carefully, and into their own compartment. He was just sitting on the trunk to close it when he heard a shout from downstairs.

"Right, let's go!" Sirius tucked his wand inside his robes, and dragged his trunk to the top of the stairs.

"Accio trunk" his father called and the trunk flew down the stairs, coming to rest by Mr. Black.

"Come on then," Mrs. Black said, pulling the door open.

"How are we getting there?" Sirius asked interestedly.

"Muggle taxi. And don't ask questions," his mother snapped. Meanwhile, a taxi drew up beside them.

"Where to, guv?" asked the muggle at the wheel.

"Kings Cross, mu.. er Sir," Mr. Black replied. Sirius stifled a laugh. He knew how much his father hated muggles, and it was funny to watch him trying to be polite.

The journey to Kings Cross couldn't last long enough for Sirius. He'd pretty much stayed at home all his life, with only occasional trips to Diagon Alley, and he'd certainly never been in muggle London before. He kept his nose pressed up against the window the whole way.

It only took half an hour to reach Kings Cross, though Sirius suspected it would have been quicker to walk. The traffic in London was incredible, a cacophony of noise and chaos, so unlike the ordered, respectable lifestyle Sirius was used to. He could grow to like this, he thought.

When they arrived, Sirius was sent to get a trolley for his trunk, and then they went to the barrier that separated platforms 9 and 10.

"Er, so what do we do now?" asked Sirius nervously. He knew the train left from platform 9 and three quarters, but couldn't see it.

"It's through this barrier. We won't come on to the platform with you, there'll be far too many people. You're quite old enough to go through on your own," his mother replied curtly.

"Right then, off you go, and for once in your life, make us proud of you," his father said, a threat edging into his voice. Sirius nodded mutely and wheeled his trolley to face the barrier.

He set off into an awkward jog, and before he knew it, he was through the barrier and standing on another platform. A handsome scarlet steam engine was stood waiting. Sirius looked around. He was surrounded by people his age and older, many with their parents. He noticed one or two of them looking curiously at him, and he suddenly felt very alone and self-conscious. He overheard one boy asking his father:

"Who's that?"

"Looks like another Black," his father replied. "He'll be a Slytherin, I imagine, so you won't see much of him."

Sirius had to stop himself from staring. He hadn't even boarded the train, and already he was being judged. It was a shame, as the boy looked quite interesting, small with untidy black hair. He was looking back at Sirius with an equally interested expression, but his father appeared to notice where he was staring, and pulled him away quickly.

Sirius turned away quickly, and went to find a compartment on the train. But before he could board, a third year girl stepped in front of him.

"Well if it isn't the baby cousin," she smirked at him. "Mummy finally let you out of the house, then?"

"Shut up, Bella," Sirius muttered, trying to shove past.

"Manners, manners," she replied, stepping again to bar his way. "You're going to have to live with me, after all."

As Sirius moved to one side, Bellatrix moved with him.

"Did my parents put you up to this?" Sirius spat angrily at her, as she continued to refuse to let him through.

"Temper, temper, little Sirius," Bellatrix mocked him. "No, they didn't. But I'm sure they'd like to hear that their little boy associated with, ahem, the right people on his journey."

She took hold of Sirius' shoulder. Although Sirius was tall for his age, Bellatrix was easily three or four inches taller, and stronger too. Sirius knew that he wouldn't be able to pull away from her, so just glared.

"Come with me, baby cousin," she smirked, tugging him with her.

Sirius turned to pick up his trunk again, but his cousin brushed him aside.

"You're a wizard now, little Sirius," she said. "There's no point in doing things the muggle way."

Pointing her wand at the trunk, she incanted loudly: "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Sirius heaved a sigh. Although the trunk had indeed risen up, and was now floating gently by his cousin's side, he couldn't help feeling that he could have done it better. The levitation spell was a first year spell after all, and Sirius had been able to incant it at a whisper since he was eight. All over the station, students had levitated their trunks quietly, some of the older ones not speaking out loud at all.

Maybe blood didn't count for everything. Or maybe Bellatrix just liked to be loud. He didn't know. And didn't care either.

"Come with me then," she repeated, urging him forwards onto the train.

Dragging his feet, Sirius reluctantly followed her. The suspicion that she might be less powerful than him notwithstanding, Sirius had no doubt that she knew many more hexes than he did, and didn't fancy spending the journey as a slug.

Bellatrix led the way to the front of the train, to the second compartment.

"Remember this, Sirius, all the best people are in the second compartment," she said, ushering him in.

Sirius looked around. This was a large compartment, which seemed to have been magically expanded, as nine or ten people were already sitting in it comfortably.

"Everybody, this is my father's brother's son, Sirius," Bellatrix announced to the compartment.

"Wouldn't it have been easier to introduce me as your cousin?" Sirius muttered under his breath. But it wasn't that unusual an introduction in the Wizarding World, where blood and your relations seemed to count for a lot.

"I won't bother introducing everyone to you," Bellatrix continued, "As you'll have plenty of time to meet them over the next few years."

She took a seat, crossing her legs lazily and taking a chocolate frog from a huge pile in the middle of the compartment.

"Well? Aren't you going to sit down?"

"I'm all right," Sirius mumbled incoherently. He already disliked the atmosphere in this compartment. It reminded him too much of home. Although all the people were sat in various states of relaxation, Sirius felt as if they were all tensed, ready to judge him the minute he did something.

"Would you please excuse me?"

A cold voice from the doorway behind him made Sirius jump. He whirled around. Behind him stood a tall boy, who Sirius assumed to be a seventh year. He had blond shoulder length hair, longer even that Sirius', and cold grey eyes which seemed to stare straight into Sirius' soul.

"What's up, Lucius baby?"

Sirius started again. The female voice coming from behind the blond boy was very familiar.

"Oh no," he groaned to himself. "It's the other one."

Sure enough, he recognised the girl who stepped out from behind Lucius instantly. Older sister to Bellatrix, she was quieter than her sister, but seemed to share the same distaste for Sirius

"Narcissa," he said, formally inclining his head.

"Sirius Black," Narcissa Black replied, looking down her nose at him. "So your parents let you out then?"

Sirius wondered if everyone was going to say that to him. It was no secret that his parents had kept him close to home, no doubt to stop him from getting any more "strange ideas". He didn't reply to his cousin, turning away instead. He had already decided to make his escape as soon as possible.

"Just dropping by, 'Trix," the boy called Lucius said lazily. "I suppose I ought to go and run this prefect meeting, but I'll be back in a bit. Just wanted to introduce you to these two"  
Two boys that Sirius thought were probably first years like himself, moved into the carriage.

"This is Rosier, and this is Snape," Lucius waved his hand in their direction. "Rosier's father is a friend of mine, and asked that I introduce his son to," he paused delicately "…the right people. And Severus here is the son of old Erigus Snape, I think you know him?"

There were murmurs of assent from the people in the carriage.

"Well, must go, can't keep my prefects waiting," Lucius remarked, turning to leave. As he did so, Sirius caught sight of a gleaming silver badge above the Slytherin crest on the boy's robes. Head Boy, it seemed.

Sirius took the opportunity to slip out of the carriage behind Lucius, then stopped. Where could he go now? All the other carriages would be full, as the train was just beginning to pull away from the station. He toyed briefly with the idea of returning to the Slytherin carriage, from which voices still came.

Suddenly, he heard his name.

"Where did that Black kid go?" a gruff male voice asked.

"No idea, he must have slipped out." That was Bella - Sirius knew her voice all too well. "Shall I go and bring him back?"

"No," the male replied. "You can teach him some respect later tonight."

Sirius shivered. Maybe Hogwarts was going to be exactly like home…

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A/N: Faster update than I anticipated! Thanks to the people who reviewed so far, and BIG thanks to Harith for catching the mistakes in this chapter... 


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